IN THE early 18th century, a local entrepreneur built two Regency villas alongside the ruins of Hereford Castle. Little did this Hereford gentleman know that his magnificent home would benefit so many people for centuries to come. Today, this ancient building is home to the exquisite Castle House Hotel, Hereford city’s only boutique hotel. Castle House offers resplendent views of Hereford Cathedral and its beautiful garden has the old castle moat running through it. Castle House is family-owned and run by the Watkins family whose produce from their kitchen gardens and farm at Ballingham Hall are used in the wonderful cuisine found here. The fine dining restaurant is run by the very talented executive head chef Claire Nicholls who combines her many wonderful ideas for dishes with the fantastic local produce of Herefordshire’s own food and drink producers. Claire is also keen to nurture local cooking talent and when a student from Herefordshire & Ludlow College won a cooking competition, her prize was four weeks of training with Claire at Castle House. The award was presented by Great British Menu’s Prue Leith CBE, the new face of Great British Bake Off – it doesn’t get much better than that! With wonderful afternoon teas, a selection of delicious, locally-sourced lunches and suppers, plus a luxurious home-from-home at this beautifully kept hotel, you’ll enjoy every aspect of Castle House. Close to the ancient grounds of Hereford Cathedral, great shopping and nightlife, or a short drive to the most wonderful walks and views at Hay Bluff and the Black Mountains, Castle House is offering a plethora of events for food and drink lovers over the coming Summer months: St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s Day Sunday 23rd April 12pm-2pm Celebrate England’s Patron Saint and The Bard’s special day with a delicious traditional roast and pudding in the Castle House Restaurant or Ballingham Bistro. Three-course lunch: £28 Children under 12: £15 Fresh and Smoked Fish Dinner Thursday 8th June at 7pm Executive head chef Claire Nicholls and her team, together with the Severn & Wye Smokery, have created a delicious menu for this event. Severn & Wye Smokery sits on the edge of the Royal Forest of Dean, between two of England’s most celebrated salmon rivers and continues the old fashioned art and practice of ‘smoking’ only the highest quality fish and meat. Its two flagship products are smoked wild salmon and smoked eel, but the business has grown to produce a full range of smoked fish products, which...

Taste The Marches speaks to small and large producers about some of the challenges selling their food and drink outside of Herefordshire. Despite Herefordshire being one of the most important food and drink counties in the UK, producers regularly have to explain that their products are not made in Hertfordshire. The relatively remote location of the county is often confused with Hertfordshire, just 24 miles from Central London. Food retailers, restaurants and bars in the capital are often confused when they realise that a visit to a Herefordshire farm or producer is in fact over 150 miles away. “Once a month I get people confused where Herefordshire is and want to pop up for the day to taste our ciders, yet we get hundreds from all over the world who know very well where Herefordshire is,” explains Tom Oliver of Oliver’s Cider & Perry. Dubbed ‘The Cathedral Line’, the return train journey from London to Hereford would take over six hours. Julie Joseph of Trecorras Farm, which recently introduced its new goat charcuterie range to restaurant owners in the Tower of London at an event to launch the ‘Lebey’ eating out guide, said people understand better when she explains that her farm is near Ross-on-Wye. “We border Wales,” is often the answer that Tigg’s producer Jacob James gives to his retail customers when they confuse Hertfordshire with Herefordshire. “This can draw some puzzled looks,” explains Jacob, who produces Tigg’s salad dressings and sauces with his brother Sam at Broadfield Court in Bodenham. “For people to visit us it isn’t exactly around the corner and most people think that everything west of the M5 is basically Wales. People just don’t realise how big Herefordshire is,” says Will Chase of Williams Chase Distillery. But, he says: “Nobody will ever tell me there is any disadvantage in promoting Herefordshire. We always stay very true to our Herefordshire farming heritage in making products with real provenance that consumers love.” Chase says Herefordshire’s location and the fact that everything is grown, fermented, distilled and bottled on a single estate, can give Herefordshire products a real point of difference and a very good marketing story. “I hate twee marketing stories, but unfortunately we are in a space in the market where it is full of them. We really try and communicate our uncompromising approach to everything we do and the real provenance we actually have, and this is sometimes difficult to really get across against...

If you’re searching high and low (and online) for the perfect Christmas present for a loved one – who just happens to be mad about food and drink – then look no further than these three festive foodie gifts! What makes these even more special is that they’re all local to Herefordshire and Shropshire, you can still pick them up during Christmas week and no one will ever be the wiser! Local retailers and food producers are pulling out all the stops this Christmas to bring you the best The Marches region has to offer. We’re especially proud to see that British Cassis by Jo Hilditch has made it into a Fortnum & Mason Christmas gift box and we’re super excited to see that the brilliant head chef at the Verzon, Callum McDonald, is now giving interactive masterclasses using local food at the Verzon’s new masterclass and tasting room. Your loved ones won’t be disappointed with these three gifts. 1. ‘Gourmet eXperiences’ at The Verzon House Hotel, Ledbury The fabulous 2 AA Rosette Verzon House in Ledbury has teamed up with ‘Gourmet eXperiences’ to offer five different food experiences your friends or family will love! The choices all involve amazing meals, a Chase cocktail or wine and a free goody bag that includes complimentary Chase gifts, plus a free book worth £20. All you have to do is choose one of five Gourmet eXperiences. There are interactive masterclasses of local food with the Verzon’s talented head chef Callum McDonald. There are workshops hosted by local producers, a wine tasting by owner Kate Chase, a Chase Distillery tour and tasting – or even a helicopter ride over Herefordshire! Check out the five different Gourmet eXperiences here! Special festive prices start from £130 per couple for lunch plus chef demo eXperience, up to £990 per couple for a Chase Distillery Tour, Afternoon Tea, Cocktail, Supper and Overnight Stay at the Verzon. To make your special Christmas gourmet gift even more special ask for an upgrade to include a Chase helicopter ride. What could a food lover not possibly love about this present? Special offer for Taste The Marches readers: Order your ‘Verzon Gourmet eXperience’ before Christmas and each couple will receive a complimentary copy of Gourmet Lifestyle’s Signature Chefs Recipe Book. Valued at £20, there are 70 different recipes from the Heart of England and includes a fabulous recipe from Callum McDonald at the Verzon! 2. Fortnum & Mason Kir Royale gift box using British Cassis Fortnum...

CHRISTMAS IS in the air along the English-Welsh borders and we’ve got the High Towns and low downs of some of the best festive food and drink fairs to visit around The Marches. From Abergavenny to Shropshire, Brecon to Ludlow, don’t miss the awesome artisans and independent producers of this amazing food region who’ll be selling their gastronomic delights for Christmas. Here at Taste The Marches we’ve been to some fairs already – we’ve picked up festive fennel and cinnamon salami, craft ciders, flavoured roast coffee, Christmas nougat, gorgeous liqueurs and chocolate gifts. And to keep our spirits up while we shopped we’ve had mouthwatering street food, mince pies and mulled wine. We must admit – we love a Great British Christmas food fair so here are 10 you might want to consider. So get your earmuffs and appetites to the ready and head out for some happy festive shopping! 1. Abergavenny Christmas Food and Drink Fair (11th December, stalls open 10am-5pm) Head to the Abergavenny Christmas Food and Drink Fair on Sunday 11th December and you’ll find everything you need to get into the festive spirit. There are over 85 top seasonal producers, signed books by celeb chefs and Christmas recipe demos. For the kids there are workshops (£1.50 each or £5 to do them all) and a musical procession with festive light display. If you’re in Abergavenny that evening then master mixologist is hosting a tasting of festive cocktails! Entry to Christmas venues is £5 per adult. 2. Brecon Christmas Farmers Markets (Saturday 10th December & Sunday 18th December) There are many festive fairs taking place around The Marches on the same day this December so food and drink artisans have to choose the best ones to suit their small businesses. Some choose Shropshire, others Herefordshire, but many are choosing to exhibit at Brecon’s two Christmas Farmers Markets. Taking place at Brecon Market Hall on two days in December, they promise to be packed full of the best local food and drink gifts for Christmas. With the cafe run by the popular bakers at Love at First Bake, Santa in his grotto and live music to entertain you while you shop, this sounds like a great day out. 3. Hampton Court Castle’s Magical Christmas Fair (Fri 2nd to Sun 4th December, 10.30am-5pm) What’s not to love about the thought of a magical Christmas fair in a castle? And when it’s for three days in gorgeous Hampton Court Castle on the way to Ludlow, this one sounds absolutely fab. The owner-organisers are dressing up this beautiful castle with festive...

MISSED THE Herefordshire Means Business Expo but launching a new website for your food or drink business? Then here are 11 fabulous tips we picked up for you at the Google Digital Garage. Google’s expert told us that 88% of small businesses are not taking advantage of the growth of the web. There are some wonderful food and drink businesses across the English-Welsh borders, with more appearing online and at local markets every month. If you’re looking for success, or simply want to improve the way you do business online then here’s a brief summary: The best websites are colourful, easy to use, have great content, encourage customers to engage with you and make it easy for people to contact you. And here are the 11 top tips in full – we hope you find them useful for your food and drink business: 1. Create a great looking website The UK is now the global No1 for buying online with 77% of us buying online at least once a month. Google’s advice if you’re starting a website is to: Build a colourful website and make it shine across all devices Tell your story through content Manage your presence on Google and improve your visibility 2. Give people the functionality to buy from you Google says small businesses with a strong web presence experience two times more growth than those with minimal or no web presence. So if you’re selling food and drink products or services online then make the shopping experience simple. 3. Make it easy for customers to contact you Google says 53% of small businesses and charities have a website. However, only 22% out of this figure provide basic information. Embedding a contact form is one of the most important things you can do to improve your website. 4. Google’s tips for building a new website First identify its purpose or goal Keep content simple and easy to digest – use bullet points break up paragraphs use images as they are sometimes better at telling your story Put strong calls to action eg buy now, subscribe here, download this Make sure your site loads quickly Make a mobile-friendly site a priority Encourage visitors to sign up to your newsletter Create downloadable guides as a way to capture emails 5. Google gave these tips for a mobile-friendly site Include prominent calls to action Keep menus short Clear navigation links Streamline form fills Don’t make users ‘pinch and zoom’ the screen Don’t put links too close to each other, space...

CALLUM MCDONALD, head chef at Verzon House near Ledbury, has led the restaurant team to win two AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence. With his background in Michelin Star restaurants, an ethos to use local produce and a ‘work hard’ mentality, you get the feeling there is more to come from Callum, which is good news for diners because he nearly didn’t become a chef! Taste The Marches caught up with the chef who believes quality Herefordshire produce has much to do with the Verzon’s success. AS HEREFORDSHIRE strengthens its reputation as the UK’s next big food destination, a new breed of fine dining chefs from London are heading this way and are bringing their refined culinary skills acquired in Michelin Star restaurants with them. With an abundance of seasonal produce, heritage beef, quality venison and game on their doorsteps, and an opportunity to build their own kitchen teams and menus at country house restaurants, Herefordshire is fast-becoming an attractive proposition for ambitious culinary talents. For some London chefs with young families, this beautiful food-rich county offers a tranquil life away from the hustle and bustle of the capital – and a few less working hours. It also offers the chance to be as close to the source of their ingredients as they can. It was Herefordshire’s quieter lifestyle and passion for food provenance that inspired 30-year-old London chef Callum McDonald to move here. Done with his 18-hour days, and with a desire to change his hectic city life, Callum is now head chef at Verzon House near Ledbury. In Herefordshire, Callum has found the perfect life for his family and at the Verzon he has found a creative environment in which to cook inspiring and delicious dishes, and to make his own mark on British cooking. Callum’s style of cuisine is classic dining with a modern twist made with produce from the heart of Herefordshire. The food at the Verzon is exciting, full of flavour and beautifully presented. You definitely get the feeling there are more inspirational dishes to come from Callum, which is a relief for diners because he nearly took an entirely different career path. “I was 16 at school in Cambridge when I wanted to join the Army but my mum begged me not to join as there was so much going on in Afghanistan at the time,” explains Callum. “I didn’t join but I knew I still wanted a career that offered discipline, so I took up a catering apprenticeship at the Pink Geranium restaurant under Stephen Saunders.” After his apprenticeship with celeb chef...

MONMOUTHSHIRE’S BEST chefs will showcase the fabulous food and drink to be enjoyed in the county’s fine hotels and restaurants from October 8th-9th. Yes, the Monmouthshire Food Festival is back! Caldicot Castle will again play host to this great food festival, which is now an annual day out for food lovers on the English-Welsh borders. The Producers Market will offer artisan food and drink to try and buy. The food producers come from Monmouthshire and neighbouring counties and will be joined by other fine food producers from across Wales. Michelin star restaurant owner Shaun Hill, from the Walnut Tree near Abergavenny, will be demonstrating at the festival for the very first time. So too will ‘rising star’ chef Charles Rouse of the Chainbridge Inn near Usk. Show organisers say: “Expect to see something different when Charles takes to the stage in the Demonstration Theatre. His cooking style features molecular gastronomy forged when he worked for Heston Blumenthal.” The Monmouthshire Food Festival has a full programme of demonstrations, talks, tastings and lots of food and drink to try and buy. The Guide Dogs Cymru will be offering you the chance to get up close to a guide dog or puppy and find out more about the charity’s vital work. The Look and Learn Theatre offers an interesting programme of talks, demonstrations and tutored tastings. Jules James, master chocolatier from Black Mountain Gold, will show how to dip truffles and temper chocolate. Local forager Henry Ashby will talk about the many varieties of wild food that autumn has to offer. Many chefs are now using wild food as ingredients in their dishes. Monmouthshire Food Festival attracts some of the most local of Welsh producers. Castles Brewery is just a mile and a half from Caldicot Castle drawbridge. A little further afield is the Parson’s Nose from Dingestow near Monmouth. The meat for their sausages and burgers is reared on their farm using traditional free range farming methods. Just over the border in Newport is Baked on Green Street from Redwick, who are famous for their divine doughnuts. Avril’s Country Kitchen from Llanwern Village, are makers of fine preserves. Their jams and chutneys are made from the freshest fruit and vegetables, many of which come from their own garden or foraged from local hedgerows. There really is something for all the family, including the Children’s Quarter, which will be hosted by the brilliant Monmouthshire Youth Service. They will have many activities to engage, entertain and educate younger visitors to the festival. Dates: Saturday 8th October & Sunday 9th...

THE FROME Valley in Bromyard has been home to hop-growing since the 16th century and the region’s famous hop kiln rooftops form part of the idyllic character of its surrounding villages. Over the centuries, hop waste has provided a nutrient-rich component to the south-facing slopes here – thus making the Frome Valley perfect for growing vines. In 2008, the owner of one former hop kiln house in the village of Avenbury, had the soil tested on his south facing slopes. It confirmed that his soil was perfect for wine production. Over the next two years, Hugh Raven fulfilled his lifelong ambition to start his own vineyard and Hop Kilns Vineyard was born. “I chose a single grape variety, Solaris, and planted every single vine myself,” explains wine producer Hugh. Every harvest, he and wife Jane enlist the help of friends and family to pick the grapes. For the first few years there was not enough in the harvest to make his own wine so Hugh’s grapes went into a co-op. Then in 2012 a frost sadly ruined his harvest. “My first proper harvest came in 2013 and this produced 600 bottles,” he says. It was the first commercial wine for Hop Kilns Vineyard. This year, Hugh intends to produce the very first sparkling wine for Hop Kilns Vineyard. It will be a single variety fizz from the Solaris grape variety, a rare wine to be made in the UK. With unctuous hints of apple blossom and citrus notes on the palate, Solaris should make a very fine sparkling wine. We’re very impressed with the wine at Hop Kilns Vineyard and shows that Herefordshire is well on the way to putting a firm mark on the world’s wine map. The Hop Kilns Vineyard Solaris wine costs around £14 per bottle and is available to purchase at Hop Pocket Wine Shop, Hay Wines, Legges of Bromyard, The Fold in Bransford as well as Barber & Manuel in Leominster. Share...

Most Recent Articles

WITH ITS Night Market, Meat Market, World Food Market, Gin Palace, amazing stalls and Chef Masterclasses, it can only mean one thing – it’s Abergavenny Food Festival! Spread across different locations of this pretty Welsh town, the Abergavenny Food Festival has become a must in the annual foodies calendar. Jam-packed to the brim with food and drink to buy, tutored tastings, cookery schools, tours, forages and live entertainment, there’s not much you can’t find. Check out fantastic street food, local...

THERE’S SOMETHING about the comforting taste of homemade chutney that brings a simple salad, pie or cheese and crackers alive with flavour, which is why we can’t resist a good preserve here at Taste The Marches. This summer we’ve stocked up on the best chutneys, jams, jellies and pickles we can find at local food festivals but one of our all-time favourite local brands is Myrtle’s Kitchen. We paid a visit to Myrtle Kitchen preserve maker Jane Raven in Bromyard to find out more about...

IF BUYING LOCAL is important to you then food doesn’t get more local than at Monmouthshire Food Festival, which takes place from Saturday 4th June to Sunday 5th June at Caldicot Castle. Head to the Producers Market where you can buy a beer that’s been brewed just 1.5 miles away. You’ll also find bread baked just a a few miles away in the village of Redwick, as well as a range of local farmhouse cheddars, craft ciders, charcuteries and 46 different varieties of...